City shuts down popular pop-up DJ events
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Daniel Joseph and the Winyl Club used social media to drive big crowds to local parks. Screenshots: (left) @winylclub_/Instagram; (center, right) @danieljoseph.mp3/Instagram
Daniel Joseph started by playing tunes for his friends at Golden Hill Park through a Bluetooth speaker. A year later, 500 strangers were showing up every Friday to hear him spin — until the city shut him down.
The big picture: Local DJs have been drawing big crowds to neighborhood parks with low-key free pop-ups for a few years now, but city officials put a stop to the social media-boosted gatherings this month when they got too big.
State of play: Joseph went to set up in his usual spot on Aug. 8 and found a park ranger who told him he needed a permit — and insurance, security, portable toilets and hand-washing stations.
- That would run him about $1,600, Joseph calculated, so he put the word out on Instagram and TikTok that his burgeoning weekly hang was dead.
Catch up quick: The Golden Hill parties were similar to the Winyl Club, free Wednesday night events that started in Balboa Park three years ago and moved this summer to Kate Sessions in Pacific Beach.
- Hundreds of young people came to those events to listen to old records, until they were also shut down this month.
Between the lines: Benny Cartwright, a city spokesperson, confirmed that staff stepped in, saying such gatherings require a citywide special event permit to operate.
- He shared a list of common municipal code violations the events may have committed, saying the events, in general, required permits because of the large number of attendees, presence of alcohol and sound amplification.
What they're saying: Joseph recalled trying to argue he was just playing music for friends and couldn't help it if the park's other visitors came to listen — but the rangers noted how he promoted the hang on social media.
- "I shouldn't have promoted it, but man, there was just such a buzz around town," he said. "The guy in a barber chair across from me said, 'Oh, you're the Golden Hill guy!' It became such a cool thing, and really felt like a community."
Yes, but: The Golden Hill event could come back.
- A city official reached out to Joseph to connect him with a grant program that funds community-focused events, as well as a nonprofit that could help with organization, and it got him talking to the right staffers to get the permits he needs.
- "They're trying to help me turn this into something we can do for the city," Joseph said.